Browsed byMonth: December 2014

My favorite part of the weekend is Saturday morning. I like to get up and make myself a giant pot of coffee, and then I curl up in my favorite armchair and read. My coffee mug is too hot, so I always keep it next to me on my favorite black corner table. The table is small enough to fit in my apartment, yet it still easily supports a lamp and a large coffee mug. I know that I could use a square or a round end table, but I like the look of the corner table best. Plus, I think it’s more versatile, since I can easily rearrange my furniture and put it in a corner, where I think it would look great as an accent piece. Plus, it has a drawer in the front. I like to store my coasters and spare bookmarks there so that they stay safe from my cat, who likes my armchair almost as much as I do. I think it’s perfect for any home, because you can use it however you want.

My lovely coworker has been talking about this bed for over a year! And so I am happy to introduce the Shiner Mood Rocking Bed!

It is available in Twin, Full, Queen, and King sizes, and we offer it in multiple metal and wood finishes. You are free to rock it out in this unique focal piece, or can use rubber stops to lock the bed in place.

My dad has a little breakfast nook at his house where I often ate most of my meals growing up. It’s too small for a normal dining set though, so we’ve always had a dinette set instead. This specific dinette set was super old — my dad bought it used about seven years before I was born. So more than twenty years later, you can imagine that this thing was on its last leg (pun intended).

Well, about a month ago the table cracked right across the middle. My dad came home, dropped a package on it, and it just broke. So, since I work for a furniture company, he called me up to ask for help. He has a more country-style kitchen and nook, so we shopped around looking for that style. Okay, I was the one who cared more about style continuity, because my dad doesn’t really know much about style or type. He just knows what he likes and doesn’t like. However, we were able to agree that it should be a wood table, with lighter coloring and classic spindle-back chairs. I almost convinced him to get a counter-height set, but he overruled me.

After several days of searching, we finally found one that fit both his criteria and country-style standards. It was a little stressful, as all furniture shopping can be, but his new Market Square Boyne 5-Piece Drop Leaf Dining Set looks great in his breakfast nook. And now he once again has somewhere to eat (and put his mail), so everyone’s happy.

Picking colors for your room usually starts off by finding a color, whether it’s the latest trend or a long time love, and pairing it with a beige, gray, or brown. BUT, what if instead of choosing that safe beige color, you pick another color?

Pairing two strong colors can liven up your room and give you more options with accessories and design.

This weekend, I spent the majority of my time helping my cousins move into their new apartment. They are getting married very soon and wanted to move all of their furniture in before the big day. It’s a two-bedroom apartment, and the second bedroom is doubling as a guest room and an office. What struck me was that they didn’t have your typical office furniture — instead, they had a computer armoire, which fit easily into the room and didn’t take up a lot of space.

This computer armoire had almost everything they needed for a home office, but on a smaller scale. The only thing they really needed to complete the home office look was a bookshelf or two, and then they easily fit in a daybed to complete the room.

Once they moved in all the big pieces of furniture, they set up their computer and their printer and everything they needed to work from home — and it all fit. They had space for all of their tax records and important documents, too, and everything had a specific place where it belonged without cluttering up the room. It’s truly one of the easiest ways to furnish a small home without compromising storage space.

It’s been almost a year since I visited my mom in Charleston, South Carolina. We spent a lot of time meandering through the historic part of the city, as well as checking out nearby attractions. It was really neat, since I’ve never lived anywhere except the Mitten.

We toured a few of the historic buildings and houses along the main streets, and we visited the original settlement of Charles Towne. I love the old architecture and furniture, both of which reflect a blend of seaside relaxation, early American style, and Gullah culture. The furniture especially had this rich, finely crafted look — as though each piece had been made as though it were the culmination of someone’s life’s work. I wanted all of it.

Sometimes when I’m missing warmer weather, I like to scroll through some of the coastal and plantation furniture on FurnitureCrate. It makes me feel like I could easily create my own colonial-style home, even in my small Michigan apartment. I can’t go to Charleston all the time, but this way, I can bring Charleston to me.

I had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I got to visit with my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and we played various board games while we waited for the food to finish cooking. Then we celebrated in true American fashion by gorging ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy. And then I took over the reclining chair and slipped into a food coma.

I haven’t relaxed in an armchair that supportive in forever, so before I knew it, I was out like a light. It was a fairly new recliner, so it had the perfect combination of give and support, which made it really difficult to stay awake. I didn’t mean to sleep for a long time, but apparently, I was out of it for a couple of hours. I missed the Lions game, I missed the post-meal cleanup, and I even slept through several raucous games of Taboo and Spoons. I was so comfortable in this recliner that I didn’t get up until someone shook me awake for pumpkin pie.

I have to say — that was one of the best naps I’ve ever taken. The combination of turkey and warmth is one of the best ways to slip into slumber. I’d like to nap like that every day. Maybe if I had a reclining chair, I could.